Prep girls tennis: Branson makes history by winning the MCAL title

The Branson School girls tennis team made history just by getting into to the MCAL finals on Thursday against top-seeded Tam High.However, the second-seeded Bulls weren't done etching their names into the history books just yet.

Branson earned its first league title after taking down the defending MCAL champions 6-3 on the road.

"These girls just kept hanging in there and believing," Branson coach Jenno Morson said. "I told them that you know your work is going to pay off. Just keep doing what you've been doing. We have had a tough schedule, but we just hit it head on."

Branson entered the MCAL in 2001 and until Thursday the Bulls haven't gotten further than the MCAL semifinals.

It was Branson's No. 2 doubles team of Bianca Capretta and Emily Modlin who clinched the win in their 7-5, 6-4 win over Lainie Johnston and Kendall Hiti.

"I was really nervous," Modlin said. "I think we really pulled through. That team is really tough and they have beaten us before so it was a hard win."

"It's amazing, winning MCAL," Capretta said. "Making it into the finals, I was like, 'Woah' and the fact that we won 6-3, 'Oh my goodness.'"

"It was a really good match. Hillary played awesome. I was really pumped up going into it and I've been working really hard all week and it just felt so great to pull it off today," Scholvinck said.

While the game was sealed by Branson's No. 2 doubles team, winning the Nos. 3 and 4 singles matches in super-tiebreakers really turned the tide in favor of the Bulls (17-2).

"I knew it was going to be very close and very tough. We just didn't finish those couple of matches," Tam coach Bill Washauer said. "My hat's off to them. They played very tough. They earned it. It came down to a little bit of guts in the No. 3 and No. 4 (singles) matches and that's the way it turns."

"The first set (Tice) was playing really well," Bryan-Ajania said. "I've definitely been working hard these last few weeks, trying to train for this match and it feels good to succeed."

"I won the first set and I was playing really well, but in tennis anything can happen and really, the wind just wasn't in my favor today," Tice added.

While Tam may not have won the MCAL championship, it did have a successful season. Last week the Red-tailed Hawks (22-4) earned the MCAL regular-season title before making it to the MCAL finals on Thursday.

"I was really nervous, but I'm really happy with the journey, of course," Jennings said. "I think we did really well. We had some bad luck, but I know we can do it next time."

As MCAL champs, Branson receives an automatic bid for the North Coast Section Division II team championship team tournament. Tam will have to apply for an at-large berth in D-I. The seeding meetings take place on Nov. 4.